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Rough poppy |
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| Nomenclature |
Species name: |
Papaver hybridum L. |
Author(s): |
Carl von Linné;
Sweden, 1707-1778
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General names: |
Rough Poppy |
Maltese name: |
Peprin tal-Lanzit |
Plant Family: |
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Name Derivation: |
Papaver = Latin name for poppy, also "pappa" is the Latin for food or milk, referring to the milky sap of the plant (Latin)
hybridum = hybrid form, genetically mixed species (Latin) |
Synonyms: |
None |
Remarks: |
-
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| Botanical Data |
PLANT STRUCTURE: |
Characteristic | Growth Form | Branching | Surface |
Description | Erect : Upright, vertically straight up well clear off the ground. | Basal Branching : Branches are mostly present at the basal part of the stem. | Hispid : Having stiff, bristly hairs but not spiny. |
General
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LEAVES: |
Characteristic | Arrangement | Attachment | Venation |
Description | Alternate : Growing at different positions along the stem axis. | Stalked / Petiolate : Hanging out by a slender leaf-stalk. | None : No prominent venation visible. |
General
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Characteristic | Leaf Shape | Leaf Margin | Remarks |
Description | Multi Pinnate / Pinnatifid : Compound arrangement of many small, narrow branching and sub-branching leaflets or leaf-lobes which however are not separated into distinct leaflets. | Entire : Smooth margin without indentations, lobes or any projections. | |
General
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FLOWERS: |
Characteristic | Colour | Basic Flower Type | No. of Petals | No. of Sepals |
Description | Crimson Red | Polypetalous to Bowl-shaped: Having separate, free petals. Sometimes petals are half erect to form a flower with a bowl-like structure. | 4 | 2 |
General
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Characteristic | Inflorescence | Description | Ovary | Stamens |
Description | Single and Terminal : Single, solitary flower at the apex of the stem or flower branch. | Flower is made up of 4 crimson-red, petals with a black spot at its base. The petals do not overlap each other. There is a central globular ovary with numerous indigo or pale blue stamens at its periphery. The 2 hairy sepals fall off when flower opens up. | Superior : Ovary situated above the flower parts (the calyx, corolla, and androecium). In other words, these are attached below the ovary. | 50-100+, Annular Cluster : A cluster of stamens in the form of a ring, often encircling the gynoecium. |
General
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Characteristic | Scent | Average Flower Size | Pollen Colour | Other Notes |
Description | None | 18-30mm | Indigo to Pale Blue Pollen colour is very contrasting with the flower. | - |
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SEEDS: |
Characteristic | No. Per Fruit | Shape | Size | Colour |
Description | >200 Numerous tiny seeds which ther quantity varies according to the fruit size. | Reniform Small, kidney-shaped seeds; rather swollen. | Not more from 1mm | Dark gray |
General
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FRUIT AND OTHER BOTANICAL DATA: |
Characteristic | Fruit Type | Colour of Fruit | Subterranean Parts | Other Notes |
Description | Indehiscent Operculate Poricidal Capsule : A fruit having the shape of a pot with a lid (operculum). It stores large number of seeds that escapes from small pores or slits in the lid (at the upper part of the fruit). | Dark Green (turns brown when fully ripe). | Taproot : A rooting system where there is the main descending root of a plant having a single dominant large structure from which a network of smaller and long roots emerge. | - |
General
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| Plant Description |
Life Cycle: | Annual |
Habitat: | Fields, waysides, weedy waste-ground. |
Frequency: | Common |
Sources in Malta: | Found in few scattered numbers in several fields such as in Mistra, Pieta', Qormi and Bahrija. |
Plant Height: | 10-50cm. |
| Mar - May |
Poison: | Not known. |
Like most poppies, the rough poppy is an erect annual plant with large bright coloured, single, terminal flowers. The name rough comes from the fact that the seed capsule possess white stiff bristles. Those of the calyx are not so stiff, while those of the stem and leaves further more soft. The main stem branches into few stems at the lower part of the plant and give rise to one single flower.
The leaves are mulit pinnately lobed (pinnatifid) and can reach up to 10cm in length, but normally they are about 6-7 cm. Leaves grow alternately along stem and have have little hair.
The flower bud has an upside-down peduncle and made up of 2 bristly sepals. On blossoming, the flower takes an erect position and the sepals falls. The corolla is rather small (2-5cm) in comparison to other wild poppy flowers and consists of 4 crimson-red petals with a dark purple-black blob at the base. The petals are relatively narrow and rarely overlap when fully mature. A distinctive feature of this poppy is the indigo or pale blue colour of the numerous anthers around the central ovary (carpel). The ovary have about 6 to 8 radiating striped stigmas at the top usually coloured in indigo or violet.
The seed-pod is globular or slightly oval in shape and is covered with stiff bristles. When it dries it forms a indehisicate operculate (having a lid structure) capsule which holds many tiny kidney-shaped seeds which escape out through tiny slits in the upper part of the capsule (at the 'lid') when the stem sways with wind.
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| Additional Information |
Personal Observations
The plant can be mistaken with a similar poppy species - the Papaver argemone. It also have hair and forms a rather small flower. The main differences is that P. argemone have a scarlet red flowers (instead crimson) and more important, the see photoseed capsule is well elongated (rather than spherical) and less bristly .[SM]
The petals of the plant are very fragile, and they drop off with little stress such as by wind or light shaking of the stem. It is more successful to find the flowers in the morning, just after blossoming, rather in the afternoon since the wind currents during the day may cause the petals to fall. In fact it is useless to cut these flowers to study them at the Lab or studio, because the petals will drop off during cutting or while transporting . [SM]
This poppy is not common in Malta and is rarely found growing on its own. However there is a good chance to be found amongst other common poppies (namely P. rhoeas ) since usually it will be present in mixed communities of poppies. [SM]
Not much more information (such as uses) has been found about this plant both on books and on the internet. If you can supply further info please email me and I will included it in, and give you full credits.
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